Goose on Tape

I’m not going to make a huge deal out of the penalty call for obvious reasons, but I will say that you’d be hard pressed to say Gaustad knew Kovalev didn’t have the puck when he hit him. I think Gaustad started lining Kovalev up before Tallinder stripped, but I guess it doesn’t matter. Either way, this was the hit that set the tone for what was a big game for the Sabres.

Oh, and he happened to score. Twice. The first was a great tip in front; something we know he’s been working on all year, while the latter was downright spectacular. That’s the kind of hustle you love to see on the penalty kill, and I was very happy to see him rewarded for it while putting the game well out of reach in the process.

Everyone who is familiar with this team knows how valuable Gaustad is to the Sabres, and it was nice to see him get rewarded for the work he puts in night in and night out. It may be a long time before Paul Gaustad sees a letter sewn on his jersey to reward him for his play, but it was a nice to see the goofy smile on his face when he was on the bench after that breakaway goal.